An inventory of
her papers
at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Creator:

Norman, Dorothy, 1905-1997.

Title:

Dorothy Norman Papers

Dates:

1923-1967

Quantity:

55 linear ft.

Abstract:

Papers of the American author.
Correspondence (1947-1967); manuscripts (1949-1965); research material (1937-1967);
and published material (1923-1967). Bulk relates to book
Nehru, the first sixty years, selected and edited by Norman.

Language:

Bulk in
English, some foreign newspapers and other
publications possibly in
Hindi,
Punjabi.

Biographical History

Dorothy Norman (1905-1997) was an American photographer, writer, editor, arts patron
and advocate for social change. Born in Philadelphia, Norman is perhaps best known
for
her long and intimate relationship with photographer Alfred Stieglitz, whom she
met in
1927 and who became her lover and mentor. Stieglitz encouraged Norman in her
photography, and her work includes numerous photos of Steiglitz as well as portraits
of
Lewis Mumford, Theodore Dreiser, John Cage, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Indira Gandhi.

During the 1930s and 1940s the two became involved in various liberal causes,
particularly civil rights, education, and independence for India and Israel. Norman
was a founding member of New York City's Liberal Party, the American Emergency Food
Committee for India, and The American Citizens' Committee for Economic Aid Abroad.
She
was a member of the Americans for Democratic Action and served on the boards of
both the
New York Urban League and the National Urban League.

In addition to her social activtism and photography work, Norman wrote a weekly
column in
The New York Post (1942-1949) and edited and
published
Twice a Year, (1938-1948), a journal of
literature, the arts and civil liberties whose contributors included Richard Wright,
Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre and Bertolt Brecht. She wrote or edited numerous
books
including
The Selected Writings of John Marin (1949),
Nehru: The First Sixty Years (1965), a two-volume
collection of the Indian leader's writings,
Alfred Stieglitz:
An American Seer (1970), the first full-length biography of the American
modernist,
Indira Gandhi: Letters to an American Friend
(1985), and
Encounters: a Memoir (1987).

[Portions of this biographical sketch adapted from "Dorothy Norman, 92, Writer
Who Sought Social Change" by Roberta Smith,
New York Times, April 14, 1997.]

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The
Dorothy Norman Papers consist of two separate
accessions which have not been integrated. Both contain correspondence, manuscripts,
research material, and published material. The bulk of the material relates to
Norman's
interest in India and to her book,
Nehru: The First Sixty Years.

Original accession

Correspondence includes both incoming and outgoing
correspondence.

Subject files includes published material,
mimeographed material, maps, a tape and a blueprint.

Manuscripts contains drafts, galleys, and other iterations of
articles and books. The vast majority of this material relates to Norman's book
Nehru: The First Sixty Years.

Research material includes manuscripts, published material, and
xeroxed material concerning India and material for the book
Nehru: The
First Sixth Years.

The 1968 additions to the Dorothy Norman papers are divided into five groups:
correspondence, manuscripts, India research material, Nehru research material, and
published
material.

Correspondence, 1953-1967, includes both incoming and outgoing
letters, and relates primarily to Indian problems.

Manuscripts, 1949-1960, consists of correspondence about,
bibliography for, and discarded pages from the manuscript of Mrs. Norman's book,
Nehru: the first sixty years. Also included in this group is a
report on India by Mrs. Norman, and a manuscript by S. S. Bhatnagar.

India research material, 1950-1967, includes both published
and mimeographed material relevant to Mrs. Norman's interest in India.
Nehru research material, 1928-1951, contains typescript notes and
printed material used as background for Mrs. Norman's writings about Nehru.

Arrangement of the Collection

Original accession

Incoming correspondence is arranged alphabetically; outgoing correspondence is
arranged chronologically. Subject files are arranged alphabetically by subject.
Manuscripts are arranged alphabetically by type. Research material is arranged
alphabetically by subject. Published material is arranged alphabetically by type;
within that, material is arranged alphabetically by title with the exception of
newspaper clippings and press releases, which are arranged chronologically by year.

1968 accession

Correspondence is arranged
chronologically. Manuscripts are arranged alphabetically by type. India research
material and Nehru research material is arranged alphabetically by subject. Published
material is arranged alphabetically by title.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:
The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require
advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance
concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and
all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from
any
materials in this collection.